Love the One You’re Witch Book Tour @randaflannery @GoddessFish

Love the One You’re Witch

by Randa Flannery

ROOM WITH BOOKS encourages our readers to follow the tour and leave comments.

GENRE: Paranormal Romance

Sassy and snarky witch Anastasia Gregor does not work with vampires. Unfortunately, she forgot to tell her boss that. Now she’s up to her neck (pun intended) in the night walkers as she attempts to help one family fix their love lives.

“Who would do this?” Dryfus persisted, his face dark and angry. “To steal another’s mate? What kind of person would do that?”

I shrugged and waved toward Lucas. “That’s a question we should probably ask Lucas. It was obviously someone he knows, since the spell was actually intended for him.”

The sexiest man alive…or sort of alive…started in surprise. “Me?”

“Well, obviously. It was your CD. It was in your house, among your music. The note was probably meant for you. Erica was just unlucky enough to take it from your room before the caster actually activated the spell.” This seemed like it should be common sense to me, but he seemed a little stunned.

The family trained their eyes on Lucas. “Who would do that?” Tanner questioned. “Who wants you, man?”

I snorted a laugh. “Seriously? Again, have you seen him?” Damn. I really need to stop talking. But then I realized that no one else was talking again, so I kind of had to. “Sorry. That was not helpful. So, have you had any girls hanging around the last month and a half?”

The family shook off the surprise brought on by my lack of couth and began to think out loud.

“Brenda,” Tanner offered first. “And Lorrie.”

“I’ve seen Candace over a lot lately,” Dryfus added. “And the Carlton twins stopped by twice this week.”

Moira twisted her mouth in distaste. “Really, Lucas, the twins?” Then she shook her head and added her own. “Hannah, Natalia, and Victoria. And what is that new girl’s name? Denise or Delilah?”

“It was Dixie,” her mate provided.

Of course it was, I thought sourly. With each name, my stomach sank more until it was finally in the heels of my boots. I told myself it was because it would make my job more difficult. Because it shouldn’t have been shocking or upsetting at all to learn that the hot vampire guy with the intense green gaze was a playboy. I couldn’t resist a little snark, however, when the list we compiled had reached fifteen.

“Wow. So I guess Wiccans aren’t the only ones who have trouble with monogamy.”

He cast a dark look around at his family. “I haven’t been with all of those girls,” he snapped, frustration spiking in his aura. “And the ones I have been with would not have been wrong, since I wasn’t part of a mated pair or otherwise in a committed relationship.”

I shrugged with a nonchalance I usually didn’t have to work at. “Hey, no judging from me. Like I said, I can see the draw.” I winked to add a little insult to injury, totally objectifying him even as my stomach twisted.

“I see,” he returned in that deep and dangerously smooth tone I liked. “So would you like on the list, Anastasia?”

My name sounded like a caress and I resisted the urge to purr. This guy was too much. “Actually, no. I prefer my partners a little more lively.” I snickered at my own pun. I can be pretty funny.

“Was that a joke about us being dead?” Tanner asked with a wary glance around.

“Not all of us,” Moira responded wryly. “I’m pretty sure that was aimed specifically at Lucas.”

I continued to grin. “Sorry, we Wiccans might do some strange things, but I draw the line at necrophilia.”

Hi Randa, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Please tell us a little about yourself and your background.

Well, I’m a mother of three little girls. I grew up in Kentucky and West Virginia, but we have been living in China for about three years now, where my English degree does me very little good!

What were you like in school?

Hmm… during middle school, I earned the nick name “Maiden of Mood”, if that tells you anything! I was always very grumpy in the mornings, rather quiet in class, and really loud outside of class. I liked sports. Track was my favorite, but I still have nightmares about the uniforms.

Were you good at English?

I was. Total cliché, I know, but it was my favorite class in every school, every grade. It may have been because it was the only class where you were rewarded for being good as BS’ing. It helps you make it into an art form, making it beautiful. I tell people I got a BA in BS.

What are your ambitions for your writing career?

I hope to write books everyone says “I hope they make that into a movie or TV show”. But more, I am wanting to entertain and make people happy and thrilled and take them through that roller coaster of feelings with my characters. It’s like a vacation for the heart and soul and mind, and I’m a travel agent. It would be great to be on people’s “must read” lists, for them to pre-order and crave whatever I’m putting out next, because I’m that excited about giving them each new story.

Which writers inspire you?

Jayne Anne Krentz is one of my all-time faves. I sort of stalked her at a conference we were both at recently. Not in a creepy way, I hope, but in that fan-girl kind of way. She’s cool. I also love Jill Shalvis, Robyn Peterman, Nora Roberts, Darynda Jones, and Suza Kates.

Give us some insight into your main character. What does Ana do that makes her special?

Ana is a witch and a PI. She is very comfortable with herself without being delusional or arrogant. I liked that a lot about her. Too often in life and books, women are so focused on their need to change something about themselves. Usually, this comes from other people’s opinions of them rather than their opinion of themselves. Ana couldn’t care less what people think about her. She is who she is, and she’s good with that. If Ana is going to change, she’s going to do it for herself, to make herself happy, and I think that’s an empowering thing for everyone.

On top of that, she’s just too funny. She has those thoughts that we tend to have but keep to ourselves…she simply spouts off whatever comes to mind and rolls with it. You know those moments you play back conversations or situations where you wish you’d said something but didn’t? Ana doesn’t have those.

What are you presently working on?

Love the One You’re Witch is the first book in the Magically Yours series, and I just finished the first draft of the second. Now I’m taking a week off of writing to spend some time with my family, whom I may or may not have neglected while trying to beat the deadline.

Which actress would you like to see playing Ana from Love the One You’re Witch?

I love that question! Because I play those games with myself all the time. I even come up with soundtracks for books and theme songs for my characters. That being said, Ana is a hard one to fit. I really like Emma Stone or Jaime King for their spunk and attitude with their comedic chops, but she also needs to be a bit softer around the edges…happy spunk rather than angry spunk, if you can picture that.

What made you decide to start writing?

It’s more about what keeps me from writing rather than what makes me write. I can’t seem to help but write. I’ve been doing in since I was old enough to spell. Life just got in the way a lot with moving, jobs, babies, etc. Even then, I would write as often as I could. It was finishing that was the problem. With so many interruptions, it was almost impossible. It was only the past year or so when all of my kids were in school all day that I was finally able to focus on getting a story done and figuring out what to do with it from there.

Do you have a special time to write or how is your day structured?

My writing is typically like a regular work day now. I get the girls off to school, come home and start writing. I take breaks to exercise and eat, but I try to dedicate the majority of my time at home working. I stop to pick the girls up from school and then get back to it while they do their homework. Any time, really, is time to write. It’s getting me to stop that has become the problem in my house! “Where’s your mom?” “Where she always is…at her computer.” I actually heard this conversation last night.

Where do your ideas come from?

Oh, anywhere. Could be a song, a movie, a conversation I had or heard, something I saw on the street, or just a phrase I saw on Facebook or something. I keep an idea folder on my computer that has everything from just one line for an idea, or a title, to more elaborately detailed outlines of complete series that can stretch as long as 20 books.

Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?

I used to just go and see what happened, but I realized that I was getting bored and just wandering through the story once I’d past the scene that had been nagging in my brain for a while. I knew vaguely what I wanted to happen over all, but couldn’t seem to get there. So I started planning better, making basic outlines before starting the story, and VOILA! I finished my first manuscript. So that’s been my way ever since.

What is the hardest thing for you about writing?

The revision process, by far, is the hardest thing. It’s hard on the ego, the eyes, and the fingers. I swear, the whole process is like performing major surgery. Make an incision here, lift this out, put this in, sew this together, put some new stuff here, change all of this, and then hope that the whole bloody mess makes sense and works when you’re done. Gory stuff.

Do you read much and who are your favorite authors?

I read a ton! It revives and relaxes me. If I’m stuck on my own story, I get lost in someone else’s to give my own mind a break. I love Jayne Anne Krentz, Robyn Peterman, Suza Kates, Darynda Jones, Marissa Meyer, and Jill Shalvis.

For your own reading, do you prefer eBooks or traditional paper/hard back books?

I used to prefer print books because I love the feel of them and even the smell. But now that I live in China, I’ve had to convert to ebooks. I very rarely buy print any more.

What book are you presently reading?

I just got my copy of All I Want by Jill Shalvis, so I started it this morning.

Tell us about the cover and how it came about.

Well, I have very little to do with the covers. My publisher sends me a questionnaire asking about certain details in the story that could help the artist with images. Then I get a round of samples to give my opinion on. They choose the final cover, ask for any last input, and make it happen. I have loved the covers they’ve done, and I’m not very artistic, so it’s a relief not to have to deal with it but nice that I still have some say in the final product.

Do you have a trailer or do you intend to create one for Love the One You’re Witch?

I do not have a trailer. I honestly never really thought about it. Being where I am, I haven’t really been exposed to anyone else’s, so I don’t really know how they work, how effective they are, etc. Maybe a little further down the line, I’ll check them out. Right now, honestly I’ve been so busy just with everything else that I don’t really know if I have the time to deal with it!

Do you think that giving books away free works and why?

I can admit that I have been hooked on some authors because I started with one of their free ones. On the other hand, most of the free ones I’ve read have been horrible. So bad, in fact, that I felt I should have been compensated for the time and brain cells I lost reading some of them. I’m a little wary of the free books because of that, as I can imagine a lot of other readers are.

For the free book to really work, I think it needs to be the first in a series that already has at least one more available to give an interested reader something to grab on immediately. It’s far too easy these days to get lost in the sea of authors out there, so if you’ve managed to hook a reader, you need to reel them in fast or they will forget you and find something else.

Most important, though, whether it’s free or not, you need to make sure you’re giving the reader a quality product. Spend the time and effort and, yes, even money to get it right. Be good to the readers and they’ll be good to you. Cheat them, and they will crucify you in reviews and to friends. Then no one will want to pay money for your work.

How do you relax?

I read and watch TV most of the time. Sometimes, I get to go out with friends and let off some steam. I love karaoke, and that’s really big in China, so that’s fun.

What is your favorite movie?

Oh, man. It’s as hard as choosing your favorite book or your favorite daughter! I can’t choose just one! I really like My Fair Lady for a classic. More recently I saw the new Mission Impossible and loved it. I also enjoy the Avenger movies. I’m a romcom junkie, too, so I have to include a gaggle of those. But then there’s my secret love of teenie bopper movies.

How can readers discover more about you and you work?

I have a website and blog they can see at randaflannery.com, where you can also find the links to my Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Any final words?

Wow, that sounds ominous.

Just a big thank you for having me here, and a shout out to all my readers. You guys are all awesome.

I think I need to reword that last question! It’s been a treat getting to know you through your writing, Randa. Thank you for taking the time for this interview.

Randa Flannery has a degree in English and writes a variety of romantic fiction, including suspense, comedy, and urban fantasy. Randa is a member of the Romance Writers of America and lives as an expat with her husband and children in FuYang, China.

i swear i’ve posted a reply to this three times, but it doesn’t seem to be sticking! yes, i loved the cover. this one was actually done in-house at icasm press and it does a wonderful job of capturing that cool, fun feeling of the story. thanks for checking it out!

oh, ollie! where to start? the original thought was to have a companion for ana, but ana wouldn’t have just a regular best friend. so he obviously had to be someone very special. there had to be more to him than a regular feline familiar. the idea of exactly how special he was came after i fleshed out ana’s past a bit, digging for her motivations. that’s all i can say without spoiling things!

Hi Randa! I really enjoyed the interview and I was surprised to see that you grew up in Kentucky and West Virginia! So did I and I still live in West Virginia! I haven’t made it to China yet!LOL This has been a great book tour! Happy writing!

that’s great! west virginia has such pretty seasons. i really miss that here. china has it’s good side, too, though it’s very different. such history here! thanks for being part of the tour. i’m glad you’ve enjoyed it!

thanks for having me on room with books today! i enjoyed the interview and love sharing “love the one you’re witch”. i had a lot of fun writing it and can’t wait to see what others think. i’m happy to hang out and chat or answer any questions. leave a comment and good luck on the drawing!